The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety says two of its worst performing police stations in Gauteng are facing challenges, including allegations of corruption and a lack of cooperation from some community members.
The committee visited two of the top 40 worst perform stations, Roodepoort and Kempton Park police stations, to “assess and address key challenges affecting crime prevention and law enforcement”.
“One of the most concerning revelations was the lack of cooperation from certain segments of the local community. In some instances, community members actively hinder police efforts by stoning and burning police vehicles when they respond to crime incidents.
“The committee acknowledges the deep challenges faced by law enforcement in this area but insists on greater collaboration with the public to combat crime,” a statement by the committee said.
At Kempton Park police station, committee members were told of alleged corrupt activities.
“[The] committee identified significant issues related to police corruption, with certain officers allegedly collaborating with criminals involved in illegal activities, such as the trafficking of drugs.
“Furthermore, the station is grappling with an increasing presence of undocumented foreigners in the area, which adds complexity to the already strained law enforcement situation.
“The committee also noted the lack of effective collaboration between the police, local councillors, and the Community Policing Forum, which undermines efforts to tackle crime effectively,” the statement said.
After the visit, the committee emphasized the “urgent” need for collaboration between stakeholders in order “to tackle crime collectively”.
“The Portfolio Committee has committed to raise the issues arising from the visits in their regular standing meeting with the Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni, to raise concerns regarding resource allocation and the need for strategic interventions to improve policing at these stations.
“The committee is optimistic that, with the right resources and coordinated efforts, crime in these areas can be reduced.
“The committee has seen positive results in its previous interventions, such as at the Rietgat Police Station, which services the Jukulyn area, amongst others, where crime has started to decrease following targeted interventions. The committee believes that similar strategies can be applied at Roodepoort and Kempton Park police stations to achieve similar successes,” the statement said. – SAnews.gov.za
